The Fools' Serenade, ca. 1525–1550
Oil on oak (?)
Dimensions without frame43 × 51 cm
Place of originVlaanderen
About the work“Amor docet musicam” – “love teaches music” – is an ancient motto that was well-known at the time this painting was created. The phrase is meant to define love as the source of the arts, but its meaning may have been interpreted here as a warning against the seductive power of women: an elaborately dressed lady teaches dim-looking gentlemen, representatives of the church, how to sing. The motif of the “power of women”, which was widespread at the time, is probably also symbolised by the jester in the background: he points to his nose, indicating that they are all being led by the nose.
AccessionGift of Dr. M. J. Binder 1995
Provenance[...]; o.D. Dr. Moritz Julius Binder (1877 - 1947), Berlin; 1947 erhalten als Dauerleihgabe aus dem Nachlass Dr. M. J. Binder; 1995 erworben durch Schenkung aus vorgenanntem Nachlass
Inventory numberM 1995-6
